It’s a busy and important week

By Helen Taylor
For the Dawson Community News

POSTED:April 20, 2011 4:00 a.m.

We are in the midst of what all Christendom celebrates as Holy Week, culminating in Easter Sunday. Those inside and outside the Christian religion are also celebrating Easter with eggs, bunnies, new outfits, sales and family dinners.

At my church on Lumpkin Campground Road, we have already raised crosses, as have many others across the county.

Our congregation also observes Maundy Thursday, as we have been “mandated” to do, and Good Friday, although it did not seem good at the time.

And each weekday at noon, some of us will gather for Lenton luncheon and devotional — where everyone is welcome.

For us, as for many Christians, Easter Sunday begins with a sunrise service and ends with a triumphant overflowing worship service.

All of these activities help us to remember who we are and why we established churches.

Hopefully, we will hold onto these understandings well beyond the week.

This year Earth Day falls during this special week. Earth Day was established April 22, l970, by Senator Gaylord Nelson as a way to awaken the United States to the need for environmental improvements.

It captured the attention of a surprising number of groups and individuals who already shared the same concerns and it engendered some new awareness.

Although the observance of Earth Day itself is not always spectacular, its effects are seen in hundreds of ways. There have been many laws and policies enacted to improve our environment and to conserve natural resources and many more are still needed.

We no longer have “dumps,” now we have landfills, recycling centers, and better ways of managing the tons of solid waste that we generate.

We are more conscious of various kinds of pollution and strive to prevent it.

Although some people refuse to admit that human actions may actually cause climate change, almost everyone is aware of the limitations of planet earth.

Earth Day is one way of reminding us of that fact.

There are other events that make this week important.

Monday’s “tax day” was just a flicker among the thundering storms of debates about taxes in general, a storm not likely to subside unless someone discovers a way for governments to provide all the services we desire without their having to be paid for.

Incidentally, taxes were a point of concern at the time of that first Easter, too, but I don’t believe that the people from whom those taxes were demanded were provided many services for their donations.

Locally, some people are busy with preparations: Rehearsing for the Community Chorale’s Spring Concert (always a delight) on April 30, the Arts Council’s Spring Fling (a biggie) May 7 and 8, Relay for Life a couple of weeks later, and all those graduations coming up.

And that’s not even recognizing all the gardeners with spring planting.

It’s an important time for that, too.

Helen Taylor’s column appears periodically in the Dawson Community News.